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700,000 apps now available in Google’s Play Store, same as iTunes!

Was there a time when you were a bit envious of iTunes because of the huge number of apps available for iOS devices? Did the words “there’s an app for that’ set your teeth on edge? Well no more. Google has announced that there are now around 700,000 apps available to download from the Play Store. This now means that Google can boast it matches Apple, who recently also stated that its iTunes Store has more than 700,000 apps.

Apps make up part of the eco-system which serve mobile devices, both those made by Apple and those powered by Google’s Android operating system. Often when choosing between one system or the other, consumers look at the eco-system, which also includes music, films, tv shows and books, to decide if they will buy an iOS or Android powered device.

By attracting software developers to Android, Google is trying to make Apple devices seem less unique and less desirable as the same apps are available for both platforms. Considering the premium price of Apple products this tactic is working as the two companies battle over market share in the $219 billion smartphone industry. In the Android world, Google works with its partners like Samsung, LG, Sony and HTC to actually make the devices, while Google itself concentrates on the OS and the surrounding eco-system.

There are also huge benefits for the app developers. In the last five years, Google and Apple have paid out billions of dollars to app developers, money which has been generated from app sales, from in-app purchases or from advertising.

Gary has been a tech writer for over a decade and specializes in open source systems. He has a Bachelor's degree in Business Information Systems.
He has many years of experience in system design and development as well as system administration, system security and networking protocols. He also knows several programming languages, as he was previously a software engineer for 10 years.